Literary Analysis Of August Strindberg s Play Miss Julie

To set up the tone, content, and structure of this sociological analysis of August Strindberg’s play Miss Julie, the following two quotes will be compared and contrasted. One from German economist, philosopher, and promenade socialist, Karl Marx and another from author, actor, and theatrical theorist, Jeremy Rockwood. The first quote comes to us from Marx s Manifesto of the Communist Party, â€Å"The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles,† (Lermert 43). The second from Rockwood’s book The Craftsmen of Dionysus: An Approach to Acting, â€Å"An exact duplication of real life is not the purpose of the theatre—nor of any art. In order to present his special insight, the artist selects, heightens, distorts.†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦No, thank you! Then I have something better myself.† Following this he pulls out a bottle of wine referring to it as â€Å"pure.† He will only indulge in the rituals the class he strives to be apart of does as a symbolic way of removing himself from his won social standings (Strindberg 3). Marx’s quote is commenting on the class conflict he observed across world cultures. He attributed social stratification, where oppressors put constant pressure on their oppressed, as the source of conflict. Stratification is present in all social structures on various gradations and exists on both the large and small sides of the scale. Within the general overarching classifications, gradation continues to narrow the social position of people further. Example, in parts of Europe during the middle ages the system in place was the Feudal System, the king had the most power and agency, while the peasants had the least, in-between were nobles and knights. Inside of each of these groups existed further classifications, within the â€Å"peasants† category there existed merchants, farmers, craftsmen, serfs, etc.. These smaller titles all held a different l evels of respect, power, and agency. Rockwood was commenting on the intent of naturalism and realism in the theatre. The most effective purpose, he proposes, is that they are meant to resemble but heighten real life, never actually replicating it. The job of an artist is to take their observations